The Showman - as Subhash Ghai is known - has found a buyer for his 15 strong movie library, a year after B4U failed to deliver on its commitments to acquiring it. The buyer this time has deeper pockets so Mukta Arts shareholders and investors need not crease their brows with worry: Sony Entertainment Television. The transaction is believed to be valued in the region of Rs 140 million, a similar amount that B4U had agreed to pay Mukta Arts earlier.

Sony will be airing the movies in two tranches under the banner of The Dream Merchant- the Subhash Ghai film festival airing every Saturday. The first tranche is from 25 May to 6 July and is scheduled to be only on Sony Entertainment Television. The lineup of the movies is: Taal (25 May), Karma (1 June), Karz (8 June), Pardes (15 June), Saudagar (22 June) Khalnayak (29 June), and Yaadein (6 July).

In the second tranche, the remaining eight movies will air on Set Max in October after the Champions Trophy. SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta is buoyant: "This is the biggest acquisition of Hindi movie blockbusters to date. And we are bringing the best of Indian cinema to our viewers." SET officials say that a host of promotions is planned around the festival and Ghai himself may make an appearance to promote his brand of cinema.